This invention relates to personal alarm apparatus and particularly to the type which can be carried on the person by an infirm or elderly patient for calling assistance in an emergency.
Elderly and infirm people often prefer to live independent lives in their own homes rather than to live in a controlled environment available in various institutions. Such an arrangement is satisfactory for all concerned, but there is the danger that the elderly or infirm person can become incapacitated by an accident or sudden illness attack leaving them unable to summon assistance. The person can therefore remain in a serious state for some time until visited by a friend or relation. This can sometimes have disastrous consequences.
Various noise alarms have been available for many years but these are necessarily limited in range and hence cannot be used to summon trained assistance or the particularly caring assistance of a close friend or rela- tive.